Something Stupid
by Darth Tromeros
Summary: On the plane ride home to New York, Sky is troubled over the bet and what has become of it. (Sort of) inspired by Frank Sinatra's "Something Stupid." Thanks to Flaming Blizzard for the idea!


_Idiot. Complete and utter idiot._

The darkness was gradually fading from the inky black to a lighter, royal blue shade. Sarah had drifted to sleep half an hour earlier on the plane ride home. He hadn't notice the adoring looks he was sending her or the pining thoughts running rampant through his mind.

When he had caught himself reaching out to caress her cheek, he stopped himself.

_You imbecile, this was just for the money._

Was it? A pang of guilt stabbed him. He had thought it was okay to toy with a girl's emotions like that? Especially one so innocent to such an intense and confusing emotion like love?

It didn't seem to bother her when he told her about the bet. Her eyes flickered for a moment, processing what he had just told her before she threw it to the wind like she had every other care in the world.

Maybe he was the one that was going to be burned.

He was on a mission to do what he did best: gambling. Falling in love with a girl would end his days of traveling, participating in all the games that allowed him to put everything he had on the line. Especially a mission girl. A doll wasn't worth his time; the most he would do for one is to give her his all for one night before catching a train to the next city. Long-time commitments wouldn't do.

He would leave her, but there was a certain magnetism. She had turned into a completely new person with him. There was suddenly a new side to her when they were together, regardless of alcohol intake. He watched the alertness return to her eyes overtime, yet she remained the same intimate demeanor, standing close to him, hands hovering over his, unsure whether or not to grab it.

And he was unsure whether or not to accept them.

They had kissed already. They had kissed in ways he hadn't done before. He might have pleasured many girls before, but those were empty kisses, only for personal fulfillment. When Sarah had stared up into his eyes, lips parted and breathing heavy, there was something entirely different about it, as if the whole world held its breath, waiting for their lips to touch. He had felt so nervous yet so exhilarated, like he was an inexperienced child all over again.

Sky didn't really believe in love before. It was made out of fairy tales, stories for these stuck in daydreams. How did he manage to be the most imaginative daydreamer in only a few hours? Only Cinderella fell in love that fast. Not real human beings.

Glancing over at Sarah, a cherishing smile broke out on his face. She was beautiful even as she slept.

Sky realized what he was doing suddenly and looked away.

_Damn it._

He gave a frustrated sigh. It could have been a nice night and have it left at that. They could have parted ways and never spoke again. But he had to spoil it all by giving into drunk wishes. He had allowed her to kiss him.

Sky hadn't kissed her. She kissed him and he took it like a gift, as if it meant something.

As if _she_ meant something.

_Snap out of it._

He tried clearing his head of the fog that occupied it. Images of her lips suddenly pushing against him kept playing in his mind like some spectacular movie, her body pressed against his, a deep yearning for each other that made his chest ache. He shut his eyes, thinking of the moment when he would be buying his thousandth train ticket with Nathan Detroit's money. He didn't have to come back. He never had before.

Feeling a bit more focused, he relaxed, opening his eyes slowly. It would be different in the morning. They would get back and he would drop her off with a tip of his hat and after they got some sleep this strange spell they were trapped under would be broken. Sky gave a weak smile. It was the opposite of those fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty; instead, they were going to sleep to escape a kiss. One stupid, foolish kiss that was wreaking havoc through his mind.

Sky looked over his shoulder at Sarah. Her lips were still alluring, her chest slowly rising and falling. Had Sky thought something about Sleeping Beauty? Had he said she was Sleeping Beauty?

He couldn't help but wish for that beautiful doll beside him to be in his arms again, hearts beating so fast they both didn't know what to do, longing stares in their eyes as they hesitantly kissed.

_You're Sky Masterson. Stop it._

She was an enchantress pulling him into her charms. She was a conservative woman waiting to be unleashed. She was an enigma waiting to be unlocked, a secret to be told. She was a the spinner of emotions, releasing a wave of outright giddiness and romantics.

_Get a hold of yourself._

She was Sarah Brown, a strange little mission girl who had captured his heart in a way no doll had never before. She was all beauty, tucked away in some little Christian establishment with coffee resting in containers and doughnuts waiting to be eating. She was a rare breed of flower, untouched by society except for Sky.

_She's nothing to you._

She was the girl he loved, the girl he hadn't realized he had been waiting for, the girl that completed him.

_You're rushing things, this isn't what it seems._

His mind came to a halt as her eyes came into view, looking sleepily at the seat in front of her. She sat up and looked over at Sky, a confused look on her face. "Where are we?"

"We're almost back to New York," he answered simply.

She sighed, stretching her arms. "What time is it now?"

"A little after three AM."

"Oh," she said softly. Exhaling loudly, she leaned her head against his shoulder, eyes closing again. "Was last night a dream?"

_Keep your head Sky, you're both still dazed._

"It sure felt like it."

A smile crossed her lips. "It did, didn't it?"

_Stop thinking about her._

"Sky Masterson, you are quite enjoyable."

_Don't think like that Sky. She doesn't really like you and you don't really like her._

He gave a small smile in return, kissing the top of her head before allowing her to readjust her head on his shoulder. Her soft hair was brushing against his arm, giving him goosebumps. How did she manage to turn him into such a bumbling fool on the inside? They had only been out for a few hours and now all he wanted to do was to run his hands over her. All he wanted to do was to feel the smoothness of her lips on his, feel her shudder as he kissed her everywhere he could. All he wanted to do was feel her heart beat against his chest as they sat in the silent darkness somewhere, no words spoken between them but instead a noiseless form of communication that said I love you.

_Damn it Sky, stop it._

"Sky?"

"Mm?"

"You never did answer me earlier. Do you think I'm a prude?"

"I did too answer you."

"Not directly. Tell me, do you think I'm a prude?"

He let out a breath. "No."

"I don't believe you."

He looked over at her, the movement causing her to lift her head off his arms. "And why don't you believe me?"

She looked down, playing with her buttons again. "It's just- you're so handsome and you've seen the world and I'm just a silly little girl pretending to be a perfect example of the Lord." Her eyes now met his. "So you must think I'm awfully annoying."

"There's nothing wrong with being faithful. You say it like it's a bad thing."

Her hand fingered the second button of her shirt. "I don't even know why I kissed you," she said in a hushed voice. "I'm sorry."

His mind was racing now. Maybe her feelings had changed and maybe this was a sign that everything was going to go back to normal. Someday this would all be a hazy memory about a warm night with a girl he had just met and couldn't remember anymore. Someday it would just be another bet won. Someday all this nonsense about love would be forgotten.

"Don't be."

The words slipped out without him thinking. He was scrambling to find something to pull them back in, but they were out in the open, susceptible to whatever Sarah's mind felt like doing to it.

Whatever his mind felt like doing to it.

Her eyes met his again, her lips pursed and unable to say anything. He hesitated, unsure of what to do now. Did he want to kiss her? Did he want to look away?

She broke the gaze first, looking away with pink seeping into her cheeks. He wished he could see into that beautiful mind-no, just that mind- no, that beautiful, wonderful mind of hers and be able to share her thoughts, to know what to do. Could he grab her wrist suddenly, jerking her to him in a passionate kiss? Could he not say or do anything and leave her behind?

Could he ever leave her behind?

Suddenly he thought that maybe this bet was more than money. Nathan had unknowingly put up a wager with him over something that neither could control.

Sky had gambled his heart.

He hadn't known it and neither had Nathan. It had been purely monetary, just a way to circulate a few greens through the country. It was a bet, a stupid, worthless bet for a thousand dollars he was going to spend anyways. And although he may have won the bet in that silly way, he had lost it in the same way. Yes, he had taken Sarah Brown to Havana. But in an odd look on it, he had given Sarah a glimpse of the Sky Masterson that nobody had seen. He had gambled with a woman, gambled with something so fragile yet he thought he would never lose. She thought he was real, and because of it he thought he was real too, and suddenly the world was a mess of spinning lights and splattered hues on a canvas with her the only thing in complete focus.

She had seen him. She had seen past Sky Masterson. She had seen past Obadiah. She had seen past his every wall that protected him from others, right down to the very core he pretended didn't exist.

The core he thought didn't exist.

She opened him up, pried him apart like a science experiment. She hadn't known it, nor had she intended it, but suddenly everything he thought he had put to rest was starting to protest inside him, his thoughts on things he had known so well be shaken from their firm foundation. There had been no such thing as love until she came.

_I give up._

The world was miles beneath his feet both literally and figuratively. Either way, he was with her. Her gentle breathing calmed him, her large eyes sending him into a feeling he couldn't describe.

He had lost that bet. But more importantly, he had lost himself. He had lost the mask he wore to some doll he had just used as a means to make more money. She held it close to her chest, eyes fixated on the exposed mess of a man before her, and still she did not judge. She didn't care. She knew who he masqueraded as and she knew now what he was and she still wanted him.

He had ended up with cider in his ear.

And to think he would have won if he hadn't blown it all and kissed her back.


End file.
